Price card holder



Feb. 22, 1944. Q R HQQFER 2,342,542

PRICE CARD HOLDER Filed March 18, 1943 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 22, 1944 PRICE CARD HOLDER Charles F. Hooter, Chicago, 111.

Application March 18, 1943, Serial No. 479,645

Claims.

My invention relates to the pricing of merchandise, particularly in connection with the mounting of price cards on shelves containing merchandise, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved price card holder designed to facilitate mounting of the cards on display shelves, particularly in connection with channeled price card retaining strips, which extend along the edges of the shelves, and in which a novel duplex card is employed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a face view of a price card in association with the holder, the latter being attached to a standard price card retaining strip.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through an edge margin of a shelf and the price card retaining strip.

Figure 3 is a top view with a portion of the retaining strip broken away.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear view of the price card and portions of the retaining strip.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the price card holder, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illustrating the price card holder in association with a retaining strip of smaller proportions.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, I make use of a spring wire bent to provide normally divergent legs l0 each having a curvature l2 at one end. The other end of each leg connects with convolutions l4 and It, the two convolutions [B being connected by a wire length H3. The convolutions I4 lie in a common plane at an angle to the common plane of the two convolutions I6.

A price card is provided with two openings 22 near its upper end for receiving the legs In. These openings are spaced closely together and the legs Ill may be inserted therethrough by bending the legs together. The upper edge margin of the card 20 is inserted between the convolutions l6 and the bar I8, as best illustrated in Figure 4. The convolutions l6 and the bar l8 constitute a clip adapted to secure the price card to the holder and also adapted to cooperate with the spring legs I!) in securing the price card to the strip 24.

The shelf 22 is provided with the usual price card retaining strip 24, this strip having channels 26 along its upper and lower edges. Such strips usually extend the full length of the shelf and provide means whereby the price card may be mounted in any desired positions longitudinally of the shelf. Conventional price card retainin strips are not uniform as to width. In some stores the retaining strips may have a width corresponding to the thickness of the shelf. In other cases the strip may be considerably wider than the shelf thickness, at times approximating two inches in width.

Figures 1, 2 and 4 illustrate the price card holder connected with the retaining strip .24. The curvatures I2 engage inside the lower channel 26 and the convolutions l4 engage inside the upper channel. Since the convolutions l4 lie in a plane diverging upwardly from the plane of the convolutions I6, the convolutions I4 slip easily inside the upper channel 26 without interference from the convolutions 16. Figure 5 illustrates the normal condition of the price card holder. Thus the legs and convolutions are considerably flexed when the holder is attached to the retaining strip, so that the convolutions l4 and the curvatures l2 will be pressed firmly inside their respective channels 26. However, the holder may be easily detached from its retaining strip by exerting pressure downwardly on the convolutions IS, the latter being spaced sufilciently far from the upper channel 26 to permit a good grip to be secured thereon.

Figure 6 illustrates the holder in association with its retaining strip 28 which is considerably narrower than the strip of Figure 1. Because of the contour of the legs l0 and the resiliency of the holder, the latter operates equally well in association with retaining strips of variable widths.

At the present time, merchants frequently desire or require two price entries on a single price card. Figure 1 illustrates a ceiling price tag 30 and a sales price tag 32. The tags 30 and 32 may comprise slips of paper having the prices printed thereon. The card 20 is cut to provide two opposing ears 34 between which and the card 20 the tag 3!] may be inserted. Two similar ears 36 are provided for the tag 32. Both tags are held firmly to the card 20 but are easily detached therefrom for substitution purposes.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of servlce.

I claim:

1. In combination with a price card, a retain ing strip having channels opening in the direc tion of each other, a price card holder engaged with the price card and comprising a resilient wire bent to provide spaced convolutions engageable inside one channel and legs engageable inside the other channel, said convolutions and the channel engaging portions of said legs having a normal spacing greater than the spacing of said channels to be yieldingly pressed therein through enforced flexure of the resilient wire.

2. The invention described in claim 1 wherein there is provided a price card having perforations through which said legs are inserted for attaching the card to the legs.

3. In combination with a price card retaining strip having channels opening in the direction of each other, a price card holder comprising a resilient member bent to provide a first means engageable inside one channel, a second means engageable inside the other channel, said first and second means having a normal spacing greater than the spacing of said channels to be yieldingly pressed therein through enforced flexure of the resilient member, said resilient member comprising a spring wire, said first means comprising two spaced convolutions lying in a common plane and connected by a length of said wire, said second means comprising leg lengths of said wire and second convolutions connecting the legs with said first mentioned convolutions, and a price card having perforations receiving said legs and having an edge margin inserted between said first mentioned length of wire and said first mentioned convolutions, said second convolutions being axially spaced from said first mentioned convolutions to lie outside the channel engaged by the first mentioned convolutions to constitute grips.

4. In combination with a price card retaining strip having channels opening in the direction of each other, a price card holder comprising a resilient member bent to provide a first means engageable inside one channel and with the price card, and a second means passing through the price card and engageable inside the other channel, said first and second means having a normal spacing greater than the spacing of said channels to be yieldingly pressed therein through enforced flexure of the resilient member.

5. Aholder for connecting a price card to a retaining strip having channel members, said holder comprising a clip engaging the price card and one of said channel members, and spring members extending from the clip in the direction of the remaining channel member and having terminal engagement with said channel member, the clip and the terminals of the spring members having a spacing normally greater than the distance between the channel members whereby to place the spring members under tension when the holder is engaged with the retaining strip.

CHARLES F. HOOFER. 

